On 7 May elections will be held in Norfolk. All County Council seats are up for election, and one third of councillors are being elected for Norwich City Council. In almost all cases there are five candidates standing (Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Reform UK), and in some places there are others as well.
To inform our readers, we invited the leaders of the five main parties to each contribute a short piece, outlining what their party would hope to do for Norfolk if elected. We stressed that, since this is a local election, we wanted to avoid national issues (for example county council has no responsibility for immigration), and there is no need to tell us that they will want to listen to constituents and use council money wisely (they will all claim that).
We set the end of last week as a deadline for them to respond, since postal ballots are going out now. As of Thursday we have not had responses from Conservatives, Labour or Reform UK. So here we publish the responses from Greens and Liberal Democrats. If the other parties respond later we will add their contributions.
Greens
The Green Party aims to restore the country we once had before it was destroyed by mistaken policies of privatisation, austerity and scapegoating.
To reclaim our roads from congestion and accidents, we’ll make it easier to get a safer speed limit. We’ll use bus improvement funds to add evening and early morning services and free bus travel for young adults.
We’ll prepare to reopen lost stations to help Norfolk commuters. For cyclists we will create routes that are better and shorter, not dangerous or complicated.
We want children to grow up happy and safe outdoors and in school. A good start in life benefits society generally and our council tax bills, with fewer problems to solve later. We’ll invest in early years support, fund excellent special needs centres, and source nutritious school breakfasts/lunches using local produce.
We’ll support farmers in their efforts to reduce pollution, use sustainable farming methods and diversify income streams.
We favour community energy schemes, using rooftops, brownfield sites and land designated for nature or soil recovery, to deliver cheap electricity, solar or wind, to local residents with revenue supporting Norfolk’s businesses and farms.
Nature-based flood solutions will improve wetland habitats and save homes from inundation.
Liberal Democrats
The day after the election, a Liberal Democrat–led Council would start to reduce pressure on services people rely on most.
Adults waiting for care would see assessments moving faster, care homes better monitored, and reablement services expanded so people can recover at home instead of being stuck in hospital; the approach the Liberal Democrats exemplified by listening to residents at Benjamin Court.
Families navigating SEND would no longer face endless hand-offs, with fewer delays and more specialist places closer to home so children aren’t spending hours travelling each day.
Getting around Norfolk would start to feel easier too. Work on a youth bus pass for 18–25-year-olds would begin, with plans progressing to put buses under local control, and highways teams using technology to spot road damage and potholes early.
At the same time, we would be getting on with the longer-term work residents expect but rarely see; pressing government for fairer funding for Norfolk, securing investment through devolution, and bringing partners together on flooding and coastal erosion.
This is experienced, serious local leadership that is focused on Norfolk. The Liberal Democrats are grounded in what works, and are ready to govern locally, not audition nationally.
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